I am partial to a dirty gritty Â70s or Â80s NYC dark alley
movie, more so a documentary which shows so much of what was
happening at the time regardless of the subject matter. One of
the best I had seen thus so far until I watched the one I am
reviewing was 80 Blocks From Tiffany's made in Â79 and
covered the gangs of the Bronx, etcetera. Captivating footage
and interviews all the way.

So I had kept Blank City nestled in my collection for
some time only waiting for the right moment and the correct mood
to watch it. After finishing, I knew it had to be on Severed
Cinema. Why? Well, not so much the footage, even though sleazy
peep shows and unwelcoming near to collapse buildings are quite
the norm, but the actual subject matter covers such a range of
experimental and sometimes utterly surreal films made in a
certain time period for almost zero cost and a lot of love. The
Cinema of Transgression and No Wave Â two categories to look up
in case you've never heard of these genres. There's some great
faces being interviewed in this one, a who's who of cult names
like Lydia Lunch, Debbie Harry (she starred in some very early
Amos Poe thingys) Jim Jarmusch, Fab 5 Freddy, right to bloody
Steve Buscemi, and John Waters. If reading those names doesn't
give you tingles in the lower regions of your body, then press
further and get the tissues ready.

These kinds of films aren't something you watch, you kind of
experience them. I've seen a handful of Nick Zedd and Jim
Jarmusch earlies in my time and they stick with you like you've
trudged the litter covered paths, glancing over your shoulder at
any heard noise.

ÂThe beauty of New York at the time was it was a magnet for
not only artists who came from other areas, outcasts... but true
freaks.... real weirdo's,Â says Lydia Lunch in the extended
scenes extras, ÂIt was just all kinds of fuckin' weirdo's
man. That to me was inspirational, Âcause it was like an insane
asylum.Â

Over the beginning credits, sound-bites from people later to be
interviewed go along the lines of even if you had no money, just
make your movie. Everyone's life is a movie waiting to be
filmed. The man who could be called the originator of this
movement, Amos Poe, explains how it all began for him. From
photography to being stuck in Czechoslovakia as the Russians
invaded, then returning to NYC and seeing a Super 8 camera for
the first time. His love started from there. The comparison is
to Punk Rock, as a way to remove yourself from the blandness and
starchy dreariness of life at the time. Wobbly direction,
usually black and white, dreadful audio, but these movies were
made, and found an audience. Slowly, mind you, it all began with
quick films of local bands such as The Ramones and all the
footage being edited to a movie length within 24 hours (studio
hire) in which a lot of speed snorting helped. ÂWe never had
any money, which in a way was why it was always so inventive.Â

Suddenly it all exploded due in part to a bloke who succeeded in
obtaining a load of Super 8 cameras with sound and selling them
cheap. As Steve Buscemi says, not just in film did it all take
off, but in music, art, a whole lot more. Underground New York
was everywhere to a cult crowd. The whole point was to move away
from the mainstream and have an identity. The fact NY was near
ruin and bankruptcy aided all of the creators in finding cheap
accommodation and places to shoot their movies. With this came a
sense of comradeship as the creators shared equipment and ideas
to make their movies. ÂYou could make a film, and then show
it the next week.Â says Lydia Lunch.

It wasn't all good of course. Legions of rats, cockroaches,
muggings, and violence, plus the infamous blackout of '77 are
all topics covered. Later on the film turns to the spread of
AIDS and drugs, but not just yet.

Nothing stopped the landslide of narrative films. Documentary
feel, one person being followed films, to crime and kidnapping
flicks, music and Hip Hop, even a great one almost
'convincingly' set in ancient Rome.

So we profile Jim, Lydia, and many others as the scene
constructs itself from ground zero then soon after into the
media. The characters and drugs become far more diverse as the
years go by, as does the ways of filming. It didn't matter who
you were, how you looked, whether you could act or play an
instrument properly. You could be talentless to the mainstream,
but to this collective you were part of the gang. We also get an
insight into the rise of Jean-Michel Basquiat from street artist
to darling of the media. Charlie Ahern and Fab 5 Freddy take us
on a neat journey through Charlie's early flicks including a
gritty street Karate flick called, The Deadly Art of Survival,
all the way into Wild Style.

Of course, when some of the folks entered the mainstream, the
values they held so dear were forgotten and they became seduced
by the glitter. Others remained in the rubble, happy to live
beside their art canvasses. However, as New York changed and
moved, so the movement ended.

Blank City
takes you on a tour of the area and the people, whilst name
dropping the infamous of that time capsule such as Andy Warhol
and Yoko Ono. It exists to catch the attention of anybody into
the underground art scene of the 1970s. Showcasing the genesis
of mostly unheard of classics like Downtown 81, Rome
78, War is Menstrual Envy, Wild Style, They
Eat Scum and Permanent Vacation, whilst glimpsing so
many others Â The Fly, Multiple Maniacs, Goodbye 42nd
Street... so much more.

Quality does vary on each clip courtesy of the budget and camera
that was used, and the sound can go up and down, but that's
expected. The interviews are crisp, filled with information and
aren't dull. In fact the whole documentary and nostalgia value
is a must for anyoneÂs collection.

To quote Jim when speaking about making his early films, ÂNo
one's gonna see it, so let's make a film we like.Â That sums
up true heart and true art.